The Broken Goddess
by M10m gas mask soldier
Summary: While she sits against her tree in her happy place with her brand new baby in her arms, Alma reflects on her life and the events that have brought her Amara and the family that she now has. AU. The last part of the Trilogy of The Broken Soldier and The Inferior Soldier saga. Set after Birth: Anthem of Sparta. Rated M because it is Alma. NOTE/WARNING: My Alma is Ooc. OC is Alpha 1.
1. Chapter 1: Happy Place

Title: The Broken Goddess.

Origin: The Broken Soldier

POV: Alma Wade-Ooc from The Broken Soldier.

Type: _**AU.**_ Again, I cannot emphasis this part enough.

A.N.:

Hello to anyone who reads this!

This is the last part of the Trilogy of The Broken Soldier and The Inferior Soldier saga.

Basically, it is Alma's recollection of the events that led up to Amara's birth.

Before you read further, please remember that my Alma character is not the one seen in the game series though they do share many similarities. My Alma has a slightly different background because she is a demi-goddess rather than just some little girl that just so happened to have massive psychic abilities.

I tried very hard to mimic her mannerisms from the game as I adapted them to fit my Alma character. So, apologies in advance if you get offended by how different she is. I love Alma and her tragic story but this is my fan fiction so please be respectful.

Anyway,

I hope everyone likes it. I do not plan on this one being very long, but I hope that it clears up the story behind the saga a little better.

Read and review if you want.

* * *

Disclaimer: F.E.A.R. 2 Project Origin and all related characters and elements are trademarks of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. I claim no ownership of anything nor do I plan to profit from posting this. I hope this is enough to avoid legal action against me.

* * *

A gentle breeze flowed through the quiet, peaceful landscape of my happy place. As I sat against my tree with my beautiful baby Amara safely in my slender childish arms against my chest, I let the sweet melody of my music box flow in my mind. As I followed the enchanting sound like a leaf rising and falling over the ripples on a pond, I swayed my head in synchronicity with the music.

I started to sing softly for my baby like I imagined how my Mother had once sung to calm me. As I did, I felt a brief stab of sadness. I could not remember my Mother: her voice, her mannerisms, or even what she looked like. Father never allowed me to see any photos of her or even ever told me her name. I like to imagine that she was very pretty, smart, nice, and an amazing Mother though. Someday, maybe I will get to see her again. Or, at least an imprint of her energy. I hope that she would think that I am a good mother too.

Oh, Father, I HATED you more than you could have ever possibly imagined. However, I understand why you fell apart like you did. I might have pitied you as I watched you drive yourself to madness like so many "men of science" did before you trying to understand beings like myself. Indeed, you were a genius as you so proclaimed at maximum volume and displayed with such unnecessary swagger. However, even you were no closer to understanding Mother than those who believed that they understood witches.

I mentally laughed momentarily as I thought about the labels that my kind had been given by humans. Gods/Goddesses, Angels/Demons, Olympians, wizards/witches, and most recently, psionics and psychics. Personally, I preferred goddess or Olympian because witch sounded archaic, psionic was almost impossible to say out loud and maintain a straight face, and psychic made me sound like a narcissistic crackpot.

Psychic warfare? Oh, Armacham, if only you had known the truth, you would still be ruling the world. My Father's ideas were doomed from the start. If even Death cannot tame a being like me, what hope could you have possibly had? I was but a mere adolescent and even your "Vault" could not prevent me from reaching out to my babies and my other children.

Father, it did not have to be the way that it had been. I know that you were afraid of me, but that was not the real reason why you treated your own daughter like some petri dish. No, you tried to hide it so deep in your mind that you thought that I could not find it. I did though. You truly did love my Mother, like Michael truly loves me. I know that if Michael were suddenly forced to continue without me, he would self-destruct just as I would if I were forced to carry on without him.

You never hated me Daddy. I am the splitting image of Mother am I not? That is the reason why you went out of your way to ensure that I hated you. You could not bear to look me in the eyes because I reminded you of her. You were a good man once, Father. You truly wanted to help people when you first started out. Then, you turned into a monster of your own creation. Even as you tortured me to the brink of madness, that is not the reason why I hated you.

It was not for treating the sons that I did not even know I had until they exited my womb with equal distain either. No, as much as I wanted to help them, I knew that they were both doomed to become something inhuman. Paxton, your favorite, was so twisted by being exposed to, as you called it, my negative "psychic" influence, that he was what humans would call a psychopath. He never had a conscience or was ever capable of caring about anyone other than himself. He was a ticking time bomb just waiting for someone to give him a little push. A push that I ensured was my own and not Armacham's.

Even the one that everyone calls Point Man is only human in vaguest sense. I do love him. After all, I am his Mommy. I cannot see into his mind, which is perhaps what saved him from becoming his brother while he was inside my tummy. However, I do know that he is a good person beneath that mute, robotic façade that he keeps up. That woman, the one that everyone calls Jin Sun-Kwon, sees the kind person that I see too. I do not like letting her get close to him, but Michael is right, I need to let him make his own decisions in life.

* * *

Point Man, please forgive Mommy. She did not mean for you to get caught up in that mess nine months ago. She did not! I swear! Mommy loves you! Please, do not hate your Mommy! PLEASE?! PLEEEAAASSEEE?! Amara stirred slightly in my arms. I rocked her gently to calm her.

Idiot! Look what you did! You upset Amara! Control yourself you stupid idiot! You are an adult now, not a child! Grow up and think about the welfare of those you care about rather than just lashing out! "_It is okay Mommy. I was not upset. I just like to listen to stories and you went off on a different tangent for a moment._" Amara's angelic voice filled my mind for a moment.

Briefly, I was stunned. Then I slowly smiled. My baby was growing stronger by the minute. She was only a few days old and she could already speak fluently to people in their minds. At the rate that she was progressing, she was definitely going to end up being stronger than even me. The thought was scary at first. A being that was stronger than me would be extremely dangerous if she was not raised correctly. "_Like Sister Akira?_"

I frowned slightly for a second as I remembered baby Akira. She was such a sweet girl but then my, or more specifically the me from that other universe, dark side poisoned her as it had poisoned me. In a sense, Akira was me if I had not had Michael to hold onto: lost, hurt, and filled with an inhuman level of anger. I wondered briefly if my dark side had consumed Akira's true personality when she had stolen the other me's power. That would explain why Akira had been using my scavengers when Michael and I had visited their universe.

"_Please, Mother, can you get back to the story? Why did you hate Grandfather?_"

I relented and continued with my inner reflections.

* * *

The true reason that I hated Daddy was because he had made me watch him slowly fall apart. Mother died shortly after I was born, possibly even because I was born. I do wish that I could remember her holding me. Anyway, her death was sudden and unexpected. Father was so lost without her that he slowly began to self-destruct even as he seemed to continue to make advancements in the laboratory. He withdrew from people, though he had a brief fling with one of the women at Armacham, from which, my half-sister Alice was born.

Unlike Mother and me, Alice did not exhibit any of the darker signs of being a "psychic" like the mental instability or nightmares. It was that observation that led that man called Marshall Disler to suggest to Armacham and Father that I was a "psionic". As Armacham experimented upon me, Father accelerated his downward spiral.

Alice, being the moron that she was, was oblivious to his degrading mental state. I suppose being the "favorite" daughter made her a little brat or something. Though, in her defense, she was too stupid to realize that she had a sibling and grew up believing that she was an only child. That is why I hated you, dear sister, you did NOTHING to help Daddy. A half-witted Neanderthal could have seen that he needed help!

While he and I were slowly dying from the madness in our minds, you got to live a normal life without the voices in your head telling you kill people. I am glad that Paxton killed you! I even let you go after I cornered you in the elevator while Point Man went to restore the power that I had cut. I felt so sorry for you that I let you go. Yet, instead of escaping with my brave baby, who was risking his own life to save your incompetent one, you decided to go after Father.

You naïve fool! The only reason that he told you where to find him was because he wanted you both to be together so that I could kill you. I suppose that was his way of showing me that he was sorry. Or perhaps he had completely lost touch with reality and was living in his own fantasy world.

Either way, I ended my Father's life when he let me out of that prison that Armacham had locked me up in since I was a child. I did not do it out of anger of what he had done to me either. I did it to put him out of his misery. If I had wanted to make him suffer, I would have done something other than liquefying his flesh. I would have made his suffering so much longer if I had wanted to exact revenge for the YEARS that he had tortured me.

Alice, because of your stupidity, Point Man and his friends followed you to Auburn and nearly got themselves killed over something that was not their problem to begin with. I thought that I had lost both of my sons because of you! You even endangered Michael! It was all going so smoothly until you messed everything up.

* * *

"_What do you mean, Mother?_"

I looked down at my baby and saw that her eyes were open. The grey orbs that gazed back at me filled with childish wonder and trust instantly reminded me of the man that was her father. I smiled ever so slightly as I said aloud with a singsong tone, "Michael..."

"Do not deserve him!"

Without even looking at the emaciated, nude woman that had rudely appeared to my right, I said with a flat tone, "Go away. I do not need you anymore."

The manifestation of my rage and agony born of nearly forty years of torment walked towards me a few steps as she pressed with her icy voice that, figuratively speaking of course as I was no longer bound by my prison of flesh and bone, sent a chill down my spine and made my skin crawl, "You are nothing without me!"

I frowned slightly before I replied, "You don't have any power over me anymore. I am done listening to you. You lied to me. You said that if I did what you said, I would get Michael back. You hurt him! You took advantage of my feelings for him! I am done listening to you!"

Contrary to what everyone thought, I had not sent Paxton on a rampage merely for my own benefit. Following my refusal to die, I had resigned myself to my purgatorial existence and had even made peace with the monster that I had become. Then, one day, around two weeks before I reached out to my second son, I felt the most terrifying and maddening sensation that I have ever experienced. It even dwarfed the sensation of being forced to given birth twice as I drowned in my own liquid as I screamed for them to give them back to me.

Through the last few strands of our link, from somewhere in South America, I felt Michael explode with emotional agony and hurt that was so intense that it frightened me. Michael was hurt! Michael needed my help! I HAD to find him! My endless battle with my dark side and her homicidal ideas had indeed nearly driven me to madness but it was the thought that I could do nothing to help one of the two individuals that had shown me kindness despite what I was that drove me over the edge.

It was around that same time that Aristide had sent those monsters to destroy me. It was too much for me to handle. I lashed out. I thought that maybe one of those people knew where Michael was. After all, he was one of their experiments. One by one, I possessed them and searched their minds for the answer that I was looking for. However, none of them knew anything about him. In my haste to find out information, I forgot that I needed one of them to let me out of the Vault. Even with the second team that she sent in, I forgot to keep one alive so that I could get out of the Vault.

She resealed the Vault shortly after I wiped out the second team. I panicked as I realized that I might not be able to find Michael. No, No, No, No, No, No! I would NOT let him suffer! He needed me! He had not given up on me even when had he sensed how broken I was inside. So, I would not give up on him! My dark side appeared to me and, in my weakness, I agreed with her plans to get out of the Vault. With no other options, I reached out to Paxton and remerged my mind with his, what Armacham and everyone else called the Second Synchronicity Event.

Once I had been released from the Vault, I had planned to search for Michael. However, Armacham and Alice's interference nearly got him killed. Point Man had followed Alice, after Paxton had captured her, to the Vault. His programming caused him to follow his orders despite having learned that Paxton was his Brother and I was his Mommy. Around that time, unknown to me until it was too late, Michael, having become a sergeant in the U.S. Army's elite anti-terrorist Special Force group called SFOD-D or Delta Force, had been sent to Fairport with a group called Dark Signal.

They were all ignorant of the fact that Armacham had purposely influenced the U.S. Military to create a unit made up of Harbinger candidates in response to my rampage in the Vault. When Paxton went berserk, that senator David Hoyle had "made a few calls" and Dark Signal was sent to "arrest" Aristide. Meanwhile, back in the Vault, Point Man was instructed to destroy the "unknown hazard" by sabotaging the coolant coils of the reactor. I was so busy with Michael that I failed to interfere.

* * *

I suddenly sensed the familiar presence of my Michael. Something was wrong though. He felt close, closer than he should have. Confused, I willed myself to manifest before him. I found myself in some kind of military vehicle. His friends, except for one that began to clutch his head, were ignorant of my presence. I smiled brightly as I saw him sleeping before me. He had become quite a man too!

I felt my cheeks flush as I examined his built form and imagined what it would feel like for him to hold me once we were reunited. Concern filled me as I saw that he was having a nightmare. I reached out with my right hand and gently touched his forehead. I tried to take him to my happy place but his mind resisted and, instead, he went to my nightmare world. However, I could not care less as I stood before him and waited for him to wake up with my dolly in my grasp.

As I felt Point Man getting closer to my body, I grew impatient and let out a giggle to wake the Delta soldier before me. I nearly cried out in joy when I saw him silently start to get to his feet. He saw me and I expected him to rush forward and embrace me. Instead, I was shocked to see him recoil back against the car at our side. Confusion filled me. Had I scared him? That must have been it. Right? Yes, that was it. I had scared him.

To calm him, I started to move away from him. I briefly willed my body to become invisible to him so that he could relax. I watched him and waited for him to relax. When he began to move forward, I willed my body to reappear. Confusion hit me again as he paused when he saw me. Why was he acting like this? Had I done something wrong? I needed to know what I was doing wrong. I began to walk towards the sedan that had its lights on.

I looked over my shoulder to see that he had a look of confusion on his hardened face as he looked around at my nightmare world. I became invisible again as I lost my concentration and my mind sough to return to my body. However, I refocused as I was determined to understand why he was acting as if I was a threat instead of his love.

I felt a slight amount of fear coming from him as he began to move forward as if he was following me. He seemed to think that I knew a way out of this world. Hope briefly filled me as I realized that might be the answer. Was it my nightmare world that was causing him to act like this? Perhaps, he needed to see me again. Now that the shock had worn off, seeing me would put him at ease.

I willed myself to become visible to him once again as I passed by the sedan. My confusion morphed into concern as I heard his thoughts. Something was not right with him. He was comparing me to a gothic themed succubus and wanted me to be his new master. Briefly, I mentally smirked as I thought of the naughty things that I could do to him. However, soon I returned to trying to understand what was wrong with him.

Michael had never thought of me in such a manner. He had only ever thought of me as his friend. True, he did think of me as "my goddess" but it was a term of endearment on his part, not a declaration of submission. I did not want his submission even if he offered it to me. I wanted him to love me as his equal, not as his master.

A horrifying realization hit me. He did not remember me. I nearly started to cry as it hit home that the one person that had returned my love with his own did not even remember who I was. The memory of his affection had been the only thing that had kept me on this side of the abyss. Just as I nearly fell off the deep end, I felt it inside his mind. The tugging in his memories as he looked at me. Hope returned in my heart as I realized that I had been wrong.

Michael was still in there somewhere. What was keeping him from remembering me? Armacham's drugs had not affected him so much before. He would be forced to forget but seeing me would always bring it back to him. Plus, he was clever and had written notes to himself to remind him of details should he be sent to the Nurse's Office. Michael was strong willed and extremely mentally stable. So, what was preventing him from remembering me?

Then, I remembered the heart-wrenching feeling that had originated from him and the reason why I was doing all of this in the first place. Had what happened to him traumatized him so severely that he was unable to function properly? By then, I had shown him the way out and he was back in his vehicle, which was actually my illusion of being inside his vehicle. I had one last trick to try. I manifested my music box next to him and willed it to play.

He heard my box and its soft melody. He had always enjoyed listening to it when he was a child. It was also the melody that had reminded him of the first time that I had shown him the carnal uses of the human body. As he reached over to touch it, in his mind, I heard him think, "_Al...Alm..._" Yes, yes, come on Michael. You almost have it. Come on, you can do it. Please, I want you back! Come on!

However, as he touched it, I suddenly saw one of his friends move over to him. No! No! No! Not yet! PLEEAASSSEE! NOT YET! My pleas fell on deaf ears and the man went to touch him. Desperately, I rushed forward and grabbed onto Michael as I screamed, "WAIT!"


	2. Chapter 2: The Broken Soldier

Ch. 2: The Broken Soldier

A.N.:

Hello and thank you to anyone who takes the time to read this.

Also, thank you to EmoBlackie and Culebra del Sol for fav'ing and following this story. I appreciate it.

I wanted to make my Alma character more innocent and "good" than her video game counterpart while still keeping her evil and twisted when she wants to be. So, I apologize if I butchered her character to those who read this.

I do not really delve into her character in my main story, which is why I am writing this ha-ha.

Also, I went further into what happened to Becket in South America in this chapter. In case you were wondering what the medal was, it was the Medal of Honor.

Read and review if you want.

* * *

Despite my protest, Michael woke up and left my illusion. Since my eldest son was busy trying to reach the entrance to the Vault, I decided to follow Michael. I once again found myself in the military vehicle. I barely managed to stop myself from ripping the blonde woman limb from limb as I saw her near my love.

My anger boiled over. How DARE she get near him? "HARLOT! SLUT! Get away from him! He is MINE! MINE! MINE!" I screamed at her but she acted as if she did not hear me. Shocked, I studied her for a moment. She did not give off a psychic signature at all. Even weak psychics gave off a signature. This blonde slut did not give one off at all. Why?

Everyone else in the vehicle gave off a signature. With the exception of the driver, who was average though I sensed that he had staggeringly high mental stability that was second only to Michael, most of them were slightly above average. However, the older soldier beside the blonde smartass that had woken up Michael, and the weak-minded soldier next to Michael were noticeably strong.

Of course, Michael was practically oozing a signature and even had an aura that none of his friends seemed to notice. I reflected that they probably did see it but simply did not know what it was. To them, Michael probably just had a charismatic air to him that they could not understand. Everyone here was a psychic except for the blonde slut. Perhaps she was not a member of the team?

She moved away from my love and I calmed down. I noticed that there was an awkward feeling amongst the soldiers in regards to Michael. The rest of them were comfortable with each other, but not with Michael. It reminded me of how my eldest son's friends felt around him. Was he a newcomer to this team like Point Man was to his? That was an odd coincidence. I noticed Michael look up as he felt my presence in the vehicle. I slapped the side of my head with my right hand as I berated myself, "Idiot! He is confused right now! Don't scare him!"

My train of thought was interrupted as I felt the vehicle stop. I looked up to see most of the members exiting the vehicle. I sent a sharp, brief, stab of pain into the blonde smartass's mind as he insulted my Michael by referring to him as "Bucket". I nearly applauded the older soldier, who must have been the leader, when he got in the smartass's face and said, "Because I don't like crybabies."

Except for the smartass, the rest of the soldiers exited the vehicle. When they were gone, the hatch closed and the vehicle started moving again. The blonde soldier complained, "This op is bullshit, man. What is so important about this chick that the cops can't pick her up?"

Chick? I scowled for a moment. He could at least be a gentleman and say woman, but that was not important. Who was it that they were going after? I thought all the military people were being sent to the Auburn District or to Armacham's various buildings. Before I could think further, the driver commented, "Just be glad that they didn't divert us to Armacham HQ. The recon team that they sent in got ripped to shreds. That situation is getting out of control."

I smiled innocently as I remembered them. It had been so much fun toying with them as they made their way through the building. I had been so lonely in my prison that I could not help myself but to play games with the people I came across. Daddy did not like it when I played games but he left me to ROT so I did not care what he thought anymore.

I toyed with them by taunting them just out of sight, though I let them see me a few times to mess with their minds. They were SO cute! They had cute little matching uniforms and did their adorable military thing as they moved in a coordinated manner. Poor little things, they did not know what they were getting into. I grew bored with them eventually, as most children do with new toys, and decided that I had toyed with them enough. When they reached the elevator, I appeared before them. They tried to run but they did not get far. I did not let them suffer though. They never felt any pain.

I was drawn from my thoughts as I heard the driver announce, "This is your stop guys." I saw Michael move to get up from his seat. Finally. I wanted to see who it was that they were going after. As he stood, I teleported out of the vehicle and then waited for him.

I studied Michael as he exited the vehicle. That jerk that he was with, Jankowski, was acting as if he had never seen luxury before as he followed Michael to the front entrance. I briefly smirked as I wondered if he was aware that I had absorbed his older brother. I might have let him live if he had been nicer to my baby. This Jankowski seemed to have a mouth on him too. Did your mother not teach you respect Jankowski?

Michael seemed oblivious to his mouthy teammate as he swiftly moved towards the main entrance. I only heard the occasional thought coming from him as he briefly identified the objects that he was passing. I knew that Special Forces soldiers were supposed to be very disciplined but something was off about Michael.

Even my eldest son occasionally mentally commented on something. Michael was simply operating and was focused exclusively on the mission. He arrived at the front entrance only to find that it was blocked by what looked like chairs that had been placed behind the doors. Jankowski commented, "Looks like the main entrance is blocked."

I felt the urge to say aloud, "Really? You think so?" However, I nearly cried out in joy as I finally heard Michael think to himself, 'No shit genius.' I smirked in response. Without missing a beat, Michael turned and moved towards the café. I sensed that the door at the rear of the café was locked so I willed it to open before Michael got there. When he opened the double glass doors at the entrance, I heard two of his teammates commenting on a janitor and blood.

Michael moved around the counter and briefly went behind it. Behind him, Jankowski commented, "Man, I could really go for an extra hot no-whip white chocolate macchiato." From where I was over by the door that led to the staircase, I barely managed to restrain the giggle as I heard Michael mentally comment that he only liked straight black coffee and that Jankowski was "a pussy if he was being serious".

Moments later, Michael passed me as he moved through the open door. I let the smartass pass me and went to follow them. As I did, I wondered what was taking Paxton so long. Surely, he had reached the control panel in the Vault by now. I frowned as a thought occurred, 'Oh, he better not have stopped for one of his _snack breaks_.' I needed to check on him. I briefly teleported to my youngest son's location, which I am sure that Michael sensed as he jumped over the railing.

As I materialized, I saw him kneeling over a pool of blood. I heard him chewing on something and, irritated, I started walking towards him as I said through our link, "I told you to stop eating peop..." I paused when I saw that he was cannibalizing my sister. He had kidnapped and eaten my sister even though I had told him to let her go? Why? Why did he disrespect Mommy?

Before I could question him, I sensed an approaching individual. I turned just in time to see that it was my eldest son. A flash came over my vision and I heard Paxton talking to his brother though I could not see them. I suddenly heard a gunshot and panicked. When my vision finally returned, I saw Paxton lying dead next to my sister with a gunshot in the center of his head. Point Man had killed his own brother? I guess that I should have expected that considering that he was programmed to follow orders without hesitation.

I frowned. This would complicate things. I could not punish the bad people by myself but I could not control the Replica. Paxton's Replicas were now useless. There were the other Replicas but I had intended for Michael and Alpha 1, as I had heard Michael call him in the vision that I had shown to the young Replica the day that Michael had infiltrated the Perseus Compound, to lead them.

* * *

"_Alpha 1 is Uncle, right Mommy?_"

I smiled before I replied, "_Yes, sweetie._"

My baby asked, "_What is he like Momma?_"

I assured her, "_You will love him, sweetie. He is like your Daddy: strong and brave, but inside, they are both huge teddy bears_."

My beautiful Amara gave off a baby giggle that sounded more like a gurgle. I smiled brightly and then continued the story.

* * *

They were not ready. Not only that, but Point Man would be going after my Father next. I was unsure about what to do. On one hand, I would prefer not to leave my body unprotected but on the other, I did not want to leave Michael for too long in case something happened. This would require me to be in two places at once. I exerted myself and split my consciousness in two.

Part of me went back to my body. Meanwhile, I honed in on Michael's signature and teleported back to him. I found myself beside him as he stood in front of some monitors. "The aorta! You'd think that it was the carotid or the subclavian artery." I glanced to my right to see the slut standing behind a reception desk. Beyond her, I saw the smartass and the weak-minded soldier standing beside each other as they faced a large pool of blood on the desk.

The smartass replied, "Dude, making fun of a man for his knowledge is a sign of insecurity."

I mentally huffed and then commented, "Pot calling the kettle black."

I heard Michael typing on a keyboard. When I looked back, I saw that he had accessed the security recording. On the screen, I saw an ATC mercenary walk up and shoot the receptionist point blank with some kind of pistol and then repeatedly smashed some poor man's face into the desk before hauling him off camera. Such senseless violence was the hallmark of Armacham's private army. Bullies! Mean people! Bad people! Bad people go their room! Daddy taught me that. I was sending them to their room do not worry Daddy. I am a good girl Daddy.

"We need to find Aristide, now!" My eyes widened. Did that slut just say Aristide? As in Armacham's president? No! Michael no! She is bad! Stay away from her!

However, my pleas were unheard as the team leader said, "Agreed. Fox, secure the lobby." Sensing an opportunity to retaliate for Michael, I influenced the older soldier to make the smartass do the thing that I sensed he hated the most. "Redd, take the stairs. The rest of you, on me."

I stuck my tongue out at the blonde jerk as he responded, "The stairs? What the fuck top? It's like a thousand fuckin' stories."

Everyone started moving to their respective places and, as I followed Michael, I whispered to the meanie, "Never mess with my Michael, again."

He started to pause but then continued towards the stairs as the leader replied, "Like I give a shit."

I went to stand by Michael but stopped when I sensed the approaching ATC soldier. I noticed that the weak-minded soldier that had wiped his nose on Michael's pant leg was standing right in front of the elevator entrance. Sensing another opportunity to put these soldiers in their place so that they would treat my Michael with respect, I assaulted the soldier with a psychic burst of negative energy. I cringed and slapped myself in the forehead with the palm of my right hand as I unintentionally hit Michael in the process.

No matter, the elevator doors opened and the soldier was struck by the ATC mercenary's bullets. The weak-minded soldier fell to the ground. The team leader gunned down the bad man almost immediately afterwards. I noticed that Michael did not defend his friend. Yes, he was definitely a newcomer to this team. Otherwise, he would have retaliated for his friend. Michael was fiercely loyal and protective once he had become attached to someone.

"I'll stabilize him. Stokes, Becket, get moving." I looked back to see Michael and the harlot getting into the elevator. I rushed to follow and managed to get into the elevator just in time. I hugged my tiny arms around Michael's legs as I stared down the temptress. Try to touch him slut! Come on, I DARE you! He is mine! Mine!

Michael, being the GOOD boy that he was, was not looking at the blonde harlot. Instead, he was looking at the view from the elevator. I admit that I too was stunned by the beauty of the city. With the sun just coming over the horizon, the city was still illuminating itself but now had a pretty glow provided by the young sunlight.

I had never seen Fairport like this. I guess, like all cities, Fairport's beauty was only skin-deep. I wondered if the inhabitants had any idea what horrible secrets were hidden beneath the city's façade. Or perhaps, not so secret, I mussed as I noticed the silhouette of Armahcam's headquarters. Strange, these people were driving to work as if last night had never happened. All those people had been killed in Armacham's headquarters and these people were acting as if it were just another day.

I was, in the words of my tormentors, "a monster". Yet, I found myself nearly overcome with guilt for those poor people being killed by Paxton's Replica Troopers. I had told him not to hurt anyone that did not know anything about what ATC was doing. After all, we only went there to find Mapes, Alice, Bishop, and Father. Tragically, at the time, neither of us had known how far up the ladder the secrets of Origin, Paragon, Perseus, and Harbinger went. So, regrettably, they all had to die. Speaking of Father, I felt my other self being released from the Vault.

I smiled brightly as I felt hope that, despite Alice's meddling, the rest of the plan might proceed without incident. I was free! Finally! After being confined to that fluid filled shithole for years, I was free! I hugged Michael tighter and silently begged that he would forgive me for all the horrible things that I had done to be with him again. I had done it for him. Surely, he would forgive me right?

The elevator stopped and I let go of Michael so that he would remain oblivious to my presence as he turned to face the door. Seconds later, the door opened and the harlot said, "Waste 'em." Seconds later, she gunned down the ATC bad man that was close to the door. I felt a wave of excitement and anxiety as Michael rushed from the elevator. I was finally going to see him in action!

I had to suppress my cries of approval as he cut down two of them without even suffering a scratch. Shocker, his harlot teammate was no help. I SHOULD be the one with him! Not her! I would not let Michael down if I were his teammate. As he moved outside, I heard an old man yelling orders at the Armacham bullies. I smirked as Michael cut them all down without even trying. He was so brave! I wish I was as brave as him. One of them said, "Colonel, it is the fucking military!"

The old man, apparently a colonel, replied, "I don't care if it is King Kong!"

I huffed before I commented with a confident tone, "King Kong doesn't have shit on my Michael."

Michael was only hit once but his neat looking armor protected him. I had not seen armor like his before. Even my eldest son did not have armor like his. It was really cool looking too! Like something out of a movie or something. I wondered if Michael would take me to see a movie after we were reunited.

I sensed that the harlot was slowing him down. Wanting to help, I influenced her to find another way to Aristide. She might not be psychic, but that did not mean that I could not play mind games with her. In fact, it made it easier because she did not have a natural defense against me.

Perhaps, this woman would prove to be more useful than I thought. I decided to make sure that she stayed alive in case my body was ever destroyed. Without the natural defense of being psychic, she would be the perfect candidate for me to possess. Better yet, without any way to resist me, I could morph and change her body to look like how I wanted it. I smirked as I commented, "I am such a dirty little girl."

I continued to watch, with growing admiration, Michael as he made his way towards Aristide. He was definitely not the fragile little boy that he used to be. He was almost as strong and fast as my eldest son. Something was missing though. Michael did not have the "slow-mo" ability. That was a good thing though because that required a very painful operation from ATC. I could not stomach the idea of Michael being forced to go through that. "This guy is unstoppable!" I heard one of the bad men saying. I felt myself blush as I imagined what it would be like once Michael and I were together as we killed these meanies.

After he cut down more soldiers in what looked like a kitchen, I heard the harlot comment, "I am not running into much resistance."

The smartass replied, "Me neither. Guess they are all going after Bucket."

I frowned. So, despite my warning, that jerk continued to belittle my Michael. Well, I guess there was only one way that he would learn his lesson. Do not worry Michael. I WILL send him to his room! Mommy take care of her Michael!

"What is your status?" I looked up to see an ATC bully walking along the roof across from Michael. I was not a soldier, but, even to me, that did not seem like a wise place to be walking when you were all alone. My suspicion was confirmed when Michael fired a single round from his gun. The shot hit the bad man in the head and he fell over the side. As he fell towards the ground, he screamed in terror.

I started to wonder how Michael would get across. However, to my horror, I saw him jump from the ledge of the building. I went to save him but stopped when I saw him land in some kind of contraption that was attached to the roof by some cables. I felt myself blush again, this time out of embarrassment. However, I was horrified once again when the backend of the contraption, which I finally remembered was called a scaffold, made a loud noise and began to plummet towards the ground. At the last second, I willed it to hold up just a little bit longer. Michael quickly jumped to the ledge on the other side and went through the open ventilation duct.

"Michael, you are going to give Mommy a heart attack! Please be more careful." Of course, my pleas were unheard, as he had vanished into the duct. I thought of a way to get him back for scaring me like that. Then, I smirked and teleported out in front of him. I found myself in some kind of pool area. Figured that the bad lady had her own pool. I willed the area to become bathed in red light and waited for Michael to arrive. When he had, I materialized for him to see and then quickly darted out of sight.

He fell into my trap as he chased after me. I was behind him the whole time as he searched the area. Eventually, he went back to the edge of the pool where I had been when he saw me. I made a little noise to draw his attention. When he turned around, I was inches away from him. Startled, he recoiled back and into the pool. When he did, I showed him my "true self" when I had been floating in the Vault while I also imitated my Father's voice as I said, "She's been in there for 12 years. Floating in darkness." Then, I suddenly started to swim towards him until I was inches from his face.

Satisfied and believing that he had learned his lesson, I sent him back to the real pool. Do not scare Mommy, Michael. I have lost one son today. Please, my heart cannot take any more sorrow today. I heard the bad lady contact Michael. No! Do not listen to her! I jammed the signal to stop her from poisoning my love with her words. As he moved to exit the pool, I materialized in front of him again, this time letting him get a good look at me.

I felt a new wave of hope when he did not respond with fright. Instead, I felt curiosity coming from him. I was making progress! Michael exited the pool and started to make his way towards Aristide. I grew impatient when he took the time to investigate the far end of the hallway. I lost concentration when he went through the door that went out onto the observation area next to the pool, and unintentional materialized behind him. Before I could finish becoming invisible, he turned around and saw me. Again, to my aching heart's relief, he did not respond with fear but with curiosity and wanting to know what I wanted.

I followed him as he made his way into what was probably the bad lady's living room. As Michael effortlessly cut down the bad men in the room, I walked over to the piano. I silently huffed as I mussed that she probably did not even know how to play the beautiful, timeless instrument. I had always wanted to hear the song that my music box played performed by a musician on one of these beautiful instruments. Perhaps one day I would find a musician to play it for me.

I heard Michael move to go upstairs and went to follow him. However, I paused as I felt something familiar in the room at the far end of the upper floor, something very near to my heart. I teleported to the room, which turned out to be the bad lady's bedroom. I lost concentration as I saw the box on the bookshelf. She had MY music box?! MY MUSIC BOX?! How DARE she?! Bad, bad, meanie head! MY BOX! It was one of the few remaining things that I had that belonged to my Mother! How DARE she touch it?! Daddy! Daddy, where are you? Daddy, the bad lady has Momma's box! DADDY! Why?! Why does the bad lady have Momma's box? MOMMA! Momma, I'm scared! Where are you Momma?

I was so upset that I failed to notice Michael enter the room as I reached up and opened my music box. I pulled myself together enough to become invisible to him as he approached. As he studied the playing music box for a moment, I calmed myself. Michael needed me! I would not let him down! Be a big girl! Big girls do not cry! Daddy told me that.

I looked up when I heard the bookcase making a noise. To my surprise, the two sides of the bookcase had separated to reveal a hidden area. Michael seemed confused and I realized that he must have seen one of my memories that I had unintentionally attached to the music box due to my strong emotional attachment to it. Eventually, he moved through the opening and stopped in front of a kind of work area. I walked up behind him and noticed that there was a map of a section of Fairport on the wall.

As I studied it closer, I noticed that there were areas circled and, to my embarrassment, there were also pictures of me. Could she have picked more unflattering pictures of me? The bad people had taken literally hundreds of pictures of me that were cuter than these. One of them even had me in my least favorite dress that was not even red and had striped sleeves of all things.

Michael turned and paused to look at a white board. I had to suppress my cry of shock when I saw that there were pictures of Michael and his friends on it. Why did the bad lady have these? I looked from the pictures of Michael and his friends back to the pictures of me. I did not like this. The bad lady was up to something.

However, I never got the chance to try to guess what it was. My other self suddenly contacted me, "_Trouble_."

Concerned, I replied, "_What? Please don't tell me that our other baby is hurt_."

I, I mean, she replied, "_No, but he has sabotaged the big power thingy in the Vault. I think that it is about to blow up. I have been leading him out of the facility but I do not know how far I can get him. If it blows...all the energy that I, I mean, we have stockpiled here...all that anger._"

My eyes widened as I realized, "_Big boom._"

She replied, "_Yes...big big boom. Like mushroom cloud big boom._"

My heart throbbed painfully as I panicked. It was not supposed to happen like this! No! No! No! No! No! No! Michael! He was in the city! In a skyscraper nonetheless! Michael! I told her, "_Get my, I mean, our baby as far away from the Vault as you can. Don't let him leave the city though. I will try to protect Michael._"

I looked around to try to find my love. I saw him over by the bad lady inside what looked like a fancy control room thingy. With no other options, I influenced him to see the world in an orange color to get his attention. The bad lady seemed to notice that something was happening because she asked him what was wrong. I had to get him away from her! I made her invisible to him and made a loud noise to attract his attention. He looked towards where I was and I materialized to let him see me. I moved towards the entrance of the hidden area and begged that he would follow me.

I cried out as he did. That is it my love. Come on! We have to get away from here! Far away! Come Michael. Please, follow Mommy. He followed me back towards the end of the hallway. I materialized again for him to see me. I darted downstairs as I tried to think of a place that would be safe for Michael. I moved over to the window to see if I could see somewhere that would be safe.

As Michael came down the stairs, I heard Father's voice say, "She is a woman now and she doesn't even know it." A woman? Me? No, I was a baby right? I was just a kid! I was a little girl! Why was Father saying that? It was not one of my memories. It must have been attached to something in the room. Perhaps, it was one of Michael's memories that had broken free from the strange mental block that he was suffering from. Whatever, I would worry about that later.

I was too short to see the city like I needed to so I morphed my body to my "true" form to be able to see. I noticed the forest and wondered if it would be a safe area. My old home, Wade Mansion, was there. I suddenly remembered that Wade Mansion had a facility located beneath it. It was deep underground. Michael would be safe there! However, before I could try to send Michael, I felt it. It was coming.

No! I was too late! Michael! NOOO! Before I could stop what was happening, an electric pulse traveled through the air. It was strong enough to interfere with my link to my body and I was forced to return to it. From where I found myself, I looked up in time to see a giant red orange mushroom cloud erupt into the air as the minor explosion of the Vault combined with the stockpiled residue of my negative psychic energy to turn into a massive, devastating explosion of apocalyptic scale.

Though it meant losing my body, I transferred my energy to protect my eldest son and Michael. I screeched in unbelievable agony as my body was vaporized by the high-energy shockwave. As I fought to retain my place on this side of the abyss, I watched the city burn. Despite the situation, I let off an evil giggle that was so loud that I am sure that Michael heard it.

I could not help myself. They were all finally feeling my pain! My sorrow! They were finally being punished for my torment! Yes! Burn! Burn Fairport! Burn Armacham! From this day forward, no one would EVER forget the name Alma Wade! However, my satisfaction was short lived as I thought of the innocent people that had been caught in this mess. Did they deserve this? They had families, loved ones, and friends. Did they deserve this?

After all, I only hated Armacham. I was not crazy! I knew who to hate. I did not intend for this to happen! I only wanted to be with Michael again! He made me happy! I made him happy! Was Michael too much to ask for? I wanted love just like everyone else; someone to hold me when I was upset, scared, or even just to hold me. What had I done? Michael would hate me now.

The only thing that I could do was try to fix the mess that I had created. Intentional or unintentional, Father had taught me that I should always clean up my mess. That is what I was going to do. I materialized myself in the ruined city. It was spooky, like something out of a horror movie. To try to be braver, I morphed into my "true" form. Feeling braver, I focused back on finding Michael. I was trying to orientate myself when I heard a helicopter flying overhead. It was some kind of military helicopter that I had seen before. I could use the vantage point to try to pinpoint his location! There was too much interference at ground level for now.

I teleported to it and managed to grab onto the running board. I felt the helicopter lurch as I did. Hey, I am not that fat meanie helicopter! I started to pull myself up and heard one of the occupants, a woman, ask, "What was that?" I was shocked to see my eldest son and his friends in the cargo bay. Why was my son in a helicopter? Was he running away from me? Why was my son running away from Mommy? No! Bad son! Bad son! I attacked the helicopter's systems and sent it crashing down into an open courtyard.

When the dust settled, I manifested beside the helicopter. I found my son and his friends unconscious. That solved that problem for now. Children do not flee from their Mothers. That would teach my son to respect his Mommy. I refocused on the more important issue. I needed to find Michael! I teleported back to the bad lady's living room.

However, to my dismay, I found that he was gone. I hugged my nude form as I cried out, "Michael! Bad lady give him back!" No one responded and I started to cry. I wanted Michael. Suddenly, I felt something. It was Michael! He was in pain! No! No! No! Michael was in pain! I teleported to his location.

There, I found myself in some kind of operating room. There were hospital people around someone that was on the table. I could not tell if they were trying to save the individual or to torture them. I moved closer and cried out when I saw that they were doing the torturous things to Michael. How DARE they touch him?! NO! You will not hurt him! I went to annihilate the oblivious bad people. However, I froze dead in my tracks as I felt him suddenly slip towards the abyss.

MICHAEL! NO! I pulled him back away from the edge of the abyss, but caused him intense agony in the process. Forgive me for hurting you, my love. What were they doing to him?! STOP! STOP! STOP! PLEEAAASSSEE! You are hurting him! I went to stop them but realized that if I stopped them, Michael would die. I had to let them finish the Hellish operation. Again, he went towards the abyss. I pulled him back again, causing him even more agony. I held him as they finished doing what they were doing.

I was crying nonstop as I walked beside him as they moved him to a recovery room. I never let go of him the entire time. Finally, the bad people left us alone and I morphed into my "short" form as I jumped on top of him. I curled up on top of him as I continued to cry. "Michael!" I finally managed to cry out. I stopped in mid-sob as he wrapped his arms around me. I was invisible and he was unconscious. How did he hear me? He responded to my voice too!

I asked with an unsure tone, "Mi-Michael?" He briefly squeezed me tighter in response. I smiled despite the tears that were still running down my cheeks. I had been right. Michael was in there! There WAS still hope! I begged him, "Michael, I'm so sorry! I did not mean for you to get hurt. Please, believe me...please." I felt him squeeze me for a moment again. A new, brief wave of crying erupted from me. However, this time, it was from joy.

When I calmed back down, I realized that this might be my only opportunity. His conscious mind was too shell shocked to respond to me. This was my chance! I needed to know what had happened to him so I could help him. I asked, "Michael, please, tell me what happened. I want to help you." I felt his body become tense. I crawled up so that I could whisper in his right ear, "Michael, please. It is me...Alma...you know that I won't judge you. Please, let me help you. Let Mommy help her Michael."

He squeezed me and suddenly, I was sent into a memory. I saw the body of an old man in armor that looked like Michael's armor except that it was battle scarred. He was wearing a black ski mask that had a white skull painted onto it. I saw that something had nearly cut the man in two at the waist. His intestines were in his lap and his uniform was covered in his own blood.

The man coughed up blood before he said, "Fuck…bitch got me. Damn, I always thought my death would be more badass like the ones in video games. Kind of a letdown…huh boy?" He laughed slightly but then choked on his own blood.

Michael stammered, "Si-sir?"

After a moment, he managed to say, "Never mind. Listen son, it is all up to you now. Complete the mission. Just follow what I have taught you and it should be a walk in the park."

Still in denial, Michael replied, "Not without you sir. Come on, you can still make it…"

Michael bent down and started to help him get to his feet but he gently pushed my love away. He sighed before he said, "My number is up kid. Today was the day for this old man to die. Here…" He pulled off his ski mask and roughly shoved it into Michael's chest. Stunned, he took it from the man's grasp and stared at it for a moment before he looked back at the veteran. He instructed Michael, "You will know when you have earned that."

Before Michael could say anything, he heard approaching search parties. The old man said, "Better get moving son. Don't worry, I got something for them." He presented a bundle of C4 and placed it on his chest. Michael placed the mask into one of his vest's pockets and looked at the man one last time before he started to sneak away from the area.

Just as he was about to leave, the man called out, "Hey Becket." Michael paused and the man finished, "Remember: react, adapt, and overcome. The difference between a professional and an amateur is their proficiency with those three things. The mission always comes first. Your personal feelings are not part of that mission. I have faith in you, my son, don't let me down."

Keeping his voice steady, Michael replied, "Yes, sir."

After Michael had made it about a mile from the site, he heard the man say through his com link, though the man clearly did not mean for him to hear it, "You want a piece of me? Come on motherfuckers!" After a few seconds, he said over the sound of the firing of his sidearm, "That's right you bitches! Come on! I survived Somalia, you think your asses can scare me?!"

After a few torturous moments filled with a mixture of false hope, horror, and sorrow, Michael heard the final words of the old veteran, "(cough) think…you…(cough) got…me…huh? Ha-ha! Suck…on…this…(cough) you…(cough) stupid…(cough) fucking…(cough) bitches!"

Michael's com link squealed with harsh feedback before the line went dead as he heard the C4 bundle explode. For a minute, the entire city seemed to grow silent and not even the wind dared to make its presence known. Then, Michael's HUD updated his mission objectives. It read, "Proceed, alone, to the embassy. Rescue the hostages and then proceed to evacuation point Jack of Clubs."

The next segments of memory were blurred. I saw, through his eyes, him kill his way to the people that he was ordered to save. There were so many people that he killed! It seemed like everyone in the city was trying to kill him! Even young children and old people were armed with scary looking guns and were trying to kill him! He never shot first; he merely defended himself. Multiple times, bullets and shrapnel hit him, but he refused to submit to his injuries. I felt him break piece by piece with each person that he killed. His mind grew numb as the amount of blood and gunpowder on his hands and uniform increased. He started crying as he continued on his path of destruction towards the government looking building with an American flag still flying in front of it. He rescued the hostages and led them to the evacuation point.

However, when the helicopter arrived, the surviving bad men closed in. They killed the pilots and Michael threw one of them aside before he jumped into the seat. As bullets continued to hit the helicopter and him, Michael managed to get the helicopter airborne and then out of the area despite having no knowledge on how to fly it. He managed to save a few of them. His superiors called him "an outstanding soldier that exemplified what it meant to be a member of Delta Force and any position in the Armed Forces".

They tried to award him with some important looking medals, including one with a golden star that was below a golden eagle and had a blue ribbon with a bunch of small white stars in a section of the ribbon. However, he turned them all down and even formally requested, in writing, to be charged, in a court-martial, as a war criminal with a personal recommendation for the death penalty. They denied his request. They could not understand why he believed that he had committed something that warranted a court-martial.

I could not take it anymore! I forced myself out of the memory. A new wave of hysterical sobbing hit me and I wrapped my arms around his neck as I buried my face into his armored chest. Between sobbing fits, I asked, "Michael, what has the world done to you?"


	3. Chapter 3: The Inferior Soldier

Ch. 3: The Inferior Soldier

A.N.:

Hey everyone!

I know that it has been a while but as I said, this is not intended to be a long story.

I delve into Alpha 1's character a bit more in this chapter and why I don't try to make him a bigger character than he already is.

The Bioshock reference is to reinforce the notion that Alma knows a whole lot more than what my characters in the main story give her credit for. She is not "all-knowing" but she is aware of things outside her own universe. After all, she is Alma xD

Bioshock 2 is owned by 2K Games and is the only game that competes for my affection with F.E.A.R.

Read and review if you want.

* * *

What had they done to him? I could sense a change in him. He was always strong but now he seemed less human and more like me. I could not stop thinking about what I had seen in his memory. This world was wounded; I had no illusions of that. Even still, what Michael had been through, no one deserved to have to live with that memory. I was certain that lesser men would have self-terminated from having to face up to what they had done.

Poor Michael, he had not only lost the only man that he could call a Father but also killed all those people in self-defense. He had been angry at first, and even vowed to make the entire city pay, but like the man that I had always known he was, he could not harm another human being out of anger. Michael put up a strong front but really, he believed that all life was sacred and that everything had a right to exist. Which, I personally found to be somewhat naïve but refreshing that there was still someone that truly believed in respecting life.

He seemed to believe that he had committed some wrong by being the only survivor of his team. The amount of torment in his mind rivaled my own. I could not believe that he had been deployed again so soon mere weeks later. Even for Special Forces, that seemed unreasonable. Armacham must be up to something. There was no other explanation.

I regretted to leave his side, but I needed to check on my first son. I quickly returned to the helicopter. The dust had settled enough for me to see the surrounding area. That explosion had transformed the city into an apocalyptic wasteland. The giant mushroom cloud was still in the air somehow too. The brick rubble hurt my feet slightly as I walked silently over to the crashed black helicopter.

I gasped quietly when I only found that woman Jin Sun-Kwon and one of the pilots. My baby and that other soldier, Holiday I think is his name, were gone. Why had they left Miss Kwon? Did they think she was dead? I could clearly see that she was not. Another, horrifying possibility crossed my mind. No! I had not killed him! No! I just wanted to teach him a lesson about disrespecting Mommy. No, he cannot be dead! Where was he?! Where?! Oh no, what if Armacham had him?

My rambling thoughts were interrupted when I sensed that Miss Kwon was about to regain consciousness. Maybe she would be able to contact them? I retreated a short distance away and then watched silently. The female F.E.A.R. Operative rose up onto her knees and put her right hand onto the ground to balance herself. She coughed twice and then called out for Holiday. When she did not receive a response, she called out for "anyone".

When no one replied, she got to her feet and went to the open hatch of the helicopter. She peered out for a moment before she suddenly looked down. I saw a look of fear in her eyes as she studied something on the ground. I gasped quietly as I realized that I had left bloody footprints on the ground. I teleported a short distance away just in time before the F.E.A.R. Operative saw me. I could not let her see me just yet. I needed her to contact my son so I knew where to find him.

Her attention was suddenly diverted to the pilot when he stirred. She turned and began to speak to him. A stab of anger shot through me. How dare she care about him more than my son?! My baby was brave and strong and beautiful and...and...how dare she?! Losing control, I assaulted the piloted with my anger.

He screamed as the blood and flesh of his body began to melt off his skeleton. He quickly succumbed to my attack and his bloody skeleton was all that was left. Miss Kwon cried out in horror but then stopped when she looked through the helicopter's windshield. I smiled back at her in sadistic enjoyment of her fear before I teleported back to Michael.

* * *

"_Momma._"

I looked down at my beautiful baby. I ignored the emaciated woman sulking as she paced back and forth through the endless meadow as I asked, "Yes?"

Amara replied, "_When did you meet Uncle?_"

I smiled gently before I started to tell her the story.

* * *

Michael was up to something. He was not in his room. However, upon examination of his little desk, I noticed that the map of Armacham's facilities in Fairport was missing. I sighed as I realized that he must have snuck out to snoop again. I wished that he would not take such risks. He had never been caught during his late night sneaking but it was only a matter of time.

Despite my insistence that the bad people were not to be trifled with, he remained steadfast in his quest to reveal their secrets to the public. I had faith in him, but it was a long shot that he would pull it off. I sighed again as I honed in on his signature and then teleported. As I started to materialize, I heard a conversation between Michael and another boy.

Michael asked, "Who are you?"

The boy replied with a scared tone, "I was hoping that you knew."

The boy's response struck me. He did not know who he was? I finished materializing before Michael. Even back then, he had a way about him that always made me feel safe. He was extremely frail looking and always had fresh bruises thanks to his abusive parents. On the outside, he did not appear to be very significant. However, there was a sharpness in his eyes that seemed alien to his fragile appearance.

People can say whatever they want to. They can say that I was merely attracted to his signature or his psychic aura. They can say that I was merely taking pity on him. However, the truth is that I am attracted to him and not what he is. Is it so hard to believe that a _wretch _like me could find it in her "dead" heart to want someone just for who they are? Michael makes me happy. We laugh together. We play together. Why does no one believe me when I say that love him? Who the Hell do they think they are?

* * *

"_Uh...Momma?_"

I looked down at my baby and asked, "Yes sweetie?"

She reminded me, "_You were telling me about when you met Uncle._"

I smiled briefly before I said, "Right, sorry." Then, I returned to telling the story.

* * *

I materialized before Michael. Judging by the rows of nude clones in growing tanks, we were in the Perseus Compound. The ATC scientists that I had been exposed to did not realize the wealth of information that they had provided me. I knew their deepest secrets without so much as a glance in their direction.

I failed to detect the other boy that he had been talking to, but I was so concerned for Michael's safety that I focused on my love instead. He smiled at me with his usual cute admiring manner. I returned it with my wispy one that he so loved before I scolded him with a motherly tone, "Michael no. You should not be here. Let me take you home. Quickly, before they find you."

Before he could respond, a sudden yelp behind me drew my attention. I turned to find a young, pale, nude, fragile looking Caucasian boy. He had brown hair and blue eyes. It was his eyes that drew my attention. The "Replicas", as they were called, spoke to me. They told me things. Some of it made sense, and some of it did not. However, their eyes were different. I could not really explain it even to myself, but they were different than regular people's eyes. They were sharp with purpose and intelligence but there was a kind of sadness to them. Perhaps, they knew that they were slaves. If that were true, then ATC was even more unimaginably cruel than even I could imagine. What kind of cruel, sadistic monster would grant a being enough sentience to know that it was a slave?

However, his eyes were different. They were sharp like his brothers but his had a look of confusion and fright. He really did not know who he was? Curiosity overruled my manners and I entered his mind briefly. I was only in his mind for a few seconds so he probably was not even aware of it. However, in those brief seconds, I saw so many things. He was indeed not like his brothers. He had a free mind completely unshackled from the bad people's control. Though he had only been conscious for less than an hour, I could already tell that he was like Michael.

There was something pure about him. I found no conscious selfish desires, which was a true first for me. I had not believed that there was such a thing as a truly selfless human being, but here before me was living proof that it was possible. There was one other remarkable thing about him. There was some kind of link between him and Michael. I saw images of them fighting as adults side-by-side. A touch of destiny?

* * *

"_Mommy?_"

I looked down at Amara and asked, "Yes sweetie?"

She asked, "_Why did he awaken when he did?_ _Why didn't the other Replicas activate like him? It just seems odd that he would awaken when it just so happened that Daddy was snooping inside the compound thingy._"

I replied, "As I said, sweetie, he and Michael have always had a unique link between them. I doubt that either of them will be aware of it until I fully unlock your Father's abilities. They may not be aware of their link, but it still binds them. Your Uncle awakened when he did because of Michael's close proximity."

Amara said, "_Oh, okay. Please, keep going._"

* * *

He looked at me with a look of fright and uncertainty. I smiled as disarmingly as I could and then spoke into his mind, "_You see?_" After a moment, he nodded shyly. Aw, he was so cute. There was no way that I was going to leave him there. I said to him, "Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you unless you give me a reason to. Come with us." I raised my right hand towards him and waited.

He looked down at my hand and then looked back up at me. He was so timid that it was adorable. He took a step back. Though he was clearly uncertain about what to do and did not mean to upset me, I could not help but be saddened by his retreat away from me. Beside me, I sensed Michael motioning encouragingly at me.

Whether it was his guilt for upsetting me, Michael's encouragement, or the combination of the two, the boy slowly began to inch his way towards me. I knew that this was an enormous leap of faith for him so I dared not move. Finally, he reached me and raised his hand up. He inched towards my hand and when our fingers touched, I showed him the images that I had seen.

While he was viewing the images, my motherly instincts took over and so I took the liberty of clothing him. Poor thing, he must have been freezing. After a moment, he asked, "Wh-what wa-was that?"

I giggled before I replied, "Someday, you will know."

Michael informed the confused boy, "Yeah, she does stuff like that. You get used to it after a while. Don't worry, that means that she likes you." Before I could make a sarcastic remark, we heard voices approaching. Michael said, "This way, I know a secret way out." He led the way as the boy followed beside him.

* * *

"_Then you escaped right?_"

I frowned slightly in sorrow. Trying to keep a light atmosphere, I replied with as calm and lighthearted of a voice as I could muster, "No...no...your Uncle...was...captured..."

"_What?!_"

I was slightly startled by her accusing tone. I looked down at her to see that her grey eyes were narrowed. She asked, "_Why didn't you help him, Mommy? Why?_"

Amara was very protective of Alpha 1 due to her "good" half idolizing him as a knight in shining armor. I tried to explain, "Amara, it was between getting your Father out safely or..."

"_So, what? Uncle is not as important as Daddy?_"

I replied, "No...no, sweetie, please...Mommy would never do something like that. I was going back for him. Your Father begged me to let him go back, but it was too risky. Their security was on alert. Once I had your Daddy back in his room, I went back for your Uncle. I could not find him anywhere. We never stopped looking for him until your Dad went away and I was left in my prison. I promise, sweetie. I never saw him again until that day your Father was in the Harbinger Facility."

She asked, "_Promise?_"

I smiled and then assured her, "Promise. You know I love him as if he was my real son. I tried to find him, but without a psychic output, I could not sense him. Your Father and I were searching blindly. We did not give up hope that he hadn't been killed, but it was like trying to find a slightly less bent needle in a bent needle stack."

"_I don't think that that is how the phrase goes, Mommy._" I giggled slightly in response. Amara asked, "_Mommy?_"

I replied, "Yes, sweetie?"

She continued, "_Why doesn't Uncle get the same spotlight that Daddy and you do? I mean, he is just as great of a soldier as Daddy and I never see them separate unless Daddy is spending time with you. Uncle is the noblest of all of us and has been through everything with Daddy. He never thinks about himself...only cares about protecting us. Whenever there is something that has to be done, he immediately has Daddy's back no questions asked._"

I tried to explain, "Sweetie, he doesn't want..."

She finished, "_While Daddy didn't remember who you were, Uncle was the one that kept a cool head and stopped you from doing anything bad until he was captured. Even when he lost his brother, he thought only of returning to us and ensuring that the new Replica generation would never taint our forces. All he does is go out of his way for us and he doesn't ever get any spotlight. We would be lost without him. He is the linchpin of our family. Why doesn't he get any spotlight? Why doesn't he get any fanfare like the rest of us?_"

I explained, "Amara, you are right. Your Uncle is the linchpin of our family. Without him, we would be lost. He is the noblest person that I have ever met. However, there is something that you need to understand about your Uncle."

"_Yes?_"

I finished, "He doesn't want to be in the spotlight. He does not want recognition. He simply wants to protect his family. The only other beings that I have come across that are like him are those big men in the strange diving suits that protect those poor little girls in that one universe that I showed you. What were they called...?"

"_They were called Big Daddies and the little girls were called Little Sisters, Mommy._"

I smiled in gratitude before I continued, "Yes, Big Daddies. Your Uncle is most like that one named...come on...ah, there it is...he is most like the one called Subject Delta."

She giggled before she commented, "_I liked him. He had a sad ending though. At least he got to be reunited with his Eleanor and now they are together always. He is her conscience._"

I smiled and then replied, "Yes, sweetie. Your Uncle is Subject Delta and we are his Eleanor. Do you understand now?"

She giggled before she said, "_Yes, Mommy. I understand._"


	4. Chapter 4: Still Island

Ch. 4: Still Island

A.N.

Hey everyone!

In this chapter, Alma reveals her side of what happened during the infamous ending of F.E.A.R. 2.

Plus, Becket reveals the real reason of why he cannot forgive her for what happened.

Note: AU...again. This is not "the" Alma Wade from the game. This is my own version of her. Open minds please.

Oh, and not meaning to spoil anything for the Inferior Soldier, but Alpha 1 did not die during his fight with the commander. Alma just cracked and blamed it on herself even though he had not actually died. He was just unconscious during the amplifier incident.

Anyway,

I will be working on The Inferior Soldier update now. Poor Alpha 1 xD

Read and review if you want.

* * *

"_Mommy?_"

Looking down at my beautiful baby, I smiled slightly before I replied, "Yes?"

Amara was silent for a moment as if she was unsure if she was allowed to ask what she wanted to ask me. No! I did not want my perfect baby girl to be afraid! I assured her, "Amara, you can ask me anything...you know that. Come on, what is it?"

Finally, after a moment, she asked, "_Why did you do it?_"

At first, I did not understand what she meant. I had done so many things that I was not proud of that I did not understand what exactly she was referring to. I asked gently, "What do you mean, sweetie?"

Her reply felt like a glowing, red-hot knife in my heart. "_Why did you...hurt...Daddy?_" I trembled briefly as I fought to suppress my memory of the event. It was my greatest sin, and it was to my best friend of all people. My efforts to stop the memory failed and I was once again forced to face what I had done. The moment that I had been waiting for had finally come. I had given up hope that fate would ever let us be together again. Then, somehow, I, of all beings, had been given one last chance. However, because of my weakness, I turned it into something cruel and unspeakable.

Despite how it made me feel, I could not disappoint my baby. I started to tell the story.

* * *

"_Why do you only care about him?! Why don't you care about me?!_"

Irritated, I lashed out at the weak-minded soldier that had been complicating the already chaos-filled situation by refusing to stop stalking me, "STOP FOLLOWING ME DAMNIT!" This "Keegan" had been slowly deteriorating ever since he had entered the city. I had not been doing it on purpose, but, like most humans that were exposed to my presence for too long without addressing it or knowing how to handle it, he had been corrupted.

The Replicas, as I had finally learned what they were called thanks to my naughty snooping in Michael's mind, were immune to the degenerative effects of my presence because their minds were engineered to be inhumanly strong. From what I had witnessed, not even slow painful torture could break them. My presence had activated them but I did not know how to control them. Yes, they saw me as their leader, but I just did not know enough about military protocols to get them to assist Michael instead of attacking him. As a result, his already dangerous trek through the city was even more so. Literally, the entire city was trying to kill him.

Michael was largely unaffected by my presence due not only to the fact that he was so strong but also to the fact that he had grown accustomed to it during the years that we had been so close. It hurt me, even more than dying slowly over the course of several days, to watch him suffer from those headaches. If he would have simply stopped fighting it, the pain would have stopped.

I had tried several times to get through to him, but every time I tried, he pushed me away as if I was trying to eat him or something. At first, I was shocked that he would do such a thing. After he had done it several times, I became heartbroken. Michael had never been so hostile towards me. He had never even raised his voice at me before this.

The man that was carving a trail of death and destruction as he made his way through the city was not my Michael. His eyes were not the charismatic yet gentle eyes that I had gazed into while we were snuggling in his bed. This man's eyes were frightening. I had never seen eyes that were so razor sharp yet so detached.

While he was investigating the school, I could feel him trying to remember and to understand the strong feeling of nostalgia that he felt as he navigated the maze of the schools ruins. Naturally, I had to separate him from that harlot in order to replicate how he felt all those years ago when he was a child attending this torture facility: vulnerable.

When he faced the Remnant that was the remains of the scientist that posed as the music teacher, he began to remember because of the melody that the creature was playing. He was nearly there! Only his fear and "in-overdrive" military discipline kept him from remembering me.

After he had fought his way past the resident specters near the computer lab, I could feel his discipline falter enough for him to begin to remember. I heard his dormant personality begin to awaken and call out for me. I tried to reach out to him once again. However, I underestimated his willingness to continue fighting. Even badly shaken, the soldier part of him refused to back down. When he pushed me away even as I heard his suppressed personality crying out for my help, I could not take it anymore.

I screamed, "WHY?! WHY?!" Before I realized what I was doing, I had him pinned up again the wall a few feet above the ground. The anger-filled glare that he gave me was enough to make me retreat for a moment. As I did, I realized my mistake. I had backed him into a corner and thus made him feel like he was in a "last stand" situation. Realizing my mistake, I tried a new tactic.

Before, because he was growing, I had to "update" my appearance occasionally to keep from making him uncomfortable during our more intimate moments. If I could have gotten away with it, I would have used my child form for everything but I understood why he was hesitant to respond to my advances as he continued to get older. Granted, he was a "late bloomer" and could pass as being much younger than he actually was even as he neared legal age, but he was, to my annoyance, a prude about such things.

I did not lie to him. He knew what I was and that I was actually older than he was. How could I lie to him about such a thing? Still, he remained uncomfortable during our more personal interactions if I continued to use my child form. As I said, your father is a prude, Amara.

As he was up against the wall, I felt his disgust at my appearance. True, I was more of a cliché monster in that form. I had not needed to be self-conscious for many years so it had not crossed my mind that I should alter my appearance to be more approachable.

So, I "updated" my appearance once again. I searched his mind to aid me in designing an appearance that would be more feminine and sensual. I could be as sexually attractive as I desired but I did not want to circumvent his willpower as I had done to the other men in his unit. My final design was drastically less succubus-like than what his teammates had seen but still much better than what that harlot, or what most women for that matter, could offer him.

* * *

"_Mommy?_"

I paused before I asked, "Yes sweetie?"

She said, "_That doesn't seem very...loyal...of you to have seduced his friends._"

I giggled for a moment before I explained, "Oh no, Amara. I did not show them anything. What they saw was all in their head. I would never parade nude in that form, or in any form for that matter, in front of anyone else other than your Father. What the rest of his team saw and what he saw were completely different things. I have since explained this to your Father but for a while, he had assumed that I had allowed anyone else other than him to see me nude...except for those perverted male scientists in Origin who would sneak peeks and photos while I was heavily sedated...but...let's just say that I made sure that the personal Hells that I sent their minds into were very fitting for the disgusting perverts that they were."

"_I don't understand Mommy._"

I smiled slightly before I explained, "I can be very manipulative if I have to be. It is easy for me too. All I have to do is create an astral projection of what they most desire...essentially a mirror image of their desires...and all but the strongest willed are completely powerless to resist me. Keegan saw me as a blonde bombshell, though I was not trying to do it to him so he basically did it to himself, Fox saw me a sexualized version of his wife wearing a cheerleader uniform, Redd saw me as a well-endowed Asian nurse, and Griffin saw me as a sexualized version of a girl that he knew in High School wearing a snug maid outfit."

My beautiful baby remarked, "_That definitely does not sound loyal to Daddy, Mother._"

My smile grew slightly before I replied, "Amara, I did not show them anything. They did not even see me. What they saw was a projection of their own desires. I was there, of course, but I was not what they actually saw. Think of it as me being a puppet master manipulating them with a tethered doll that I was controlling. So, your Father was the only one that actually saw me."

After a moment, I continued, "Like when I killed Griffin...what they were concentrating on at the end of the hall was my 'puppet'...the entire time, I was by your Father's side. I never left his side...I was always there. A few times, I moved objects to show him hidden supplies and stuff. When he had been trying to get to Still Island, I caused one of the Replica EPAs to malfunction so that the pilot would be ejected into an electrified pool of water...I did it so that Michael could use the EPA to get through the incoming Replica Armor."

Amara said, "_I'm sorry, I did not mean to upset you Mommy. I know that you are loyal to Father just like he is to you._"

I giggled before I assured her, "Don't worry, my sweet little Amara. I am not upset. Now, back to your other question."

* * *

As I showed him my attractive form, I asked him, "Don't you see?" I wanted to remind him what I was willing to do to make him happy and that he should not be afraid of me. If I could just distract him from his own fear long enough for him to loosen up, he would lower his guard. Then, we would be reunited.

* * *

"_Fear...but Daddy isn't afraid of anything, right Mommy? He never backs down from anything._"

I smiled brightly before I explained, "You're Father is...as the expression goes...afraid of his own shadow, Amara. That is what makes him so brave...he is so used to fear that nothing scares him. As I told you before, he is a giant teddy bear...he is sensitive and timid. Unfortunately, people have seen this as weakness on his part and have cruelly hurt him...badly...for it. So, he has learned to hide it by projecting a strong front that only gets stronger as he feels more threatened."

Amara remarked, "_Oh...okay._"

I giggled and then continued with the story.

* * *

While my form rattled his resolve, it did not distract him enough to loosen him up. Even showing him my memory of my miserable last birthday when I had been dragged away from my swing to be thrown into darkness had not gotten through to him. The first time that I had shown him that memory, he would not stop crying even when I assured him that everything was okay now because of him. I even said what I had told him that first time to calm him down, "I feel. I feel good again." Still, he would not let himself remember that moment.

As I watched Morales and Michael annihilate the disorganized Replicas with their military vehicle thingy, I knew that I was running out of time. Halford's plan would never work simply because the amplifier was not intended for what they were going to do with it. It was meant to be used as a tool, not a weapon. In addition, no offense to my Michael, but no amount of amplification would ever allow him to match me in a psychic battle. Sure, he could hurt me, but he could not defeat me.

When I was still bound by my human body, yes, Michael could have matched me with the use of an amplifier. Now, freed from my prison, I had virtually no power restrictions. I had been powerful as a human but now I was my "true" self: an Olympian. Michael was simply still a human being. If Michael went through with the plan, it would be like Achilles trying to kill Zeus. Yes, it would be one Hell of a fight and Achilles would be able to hurt Zeus, but, in the end, Zeus was a higher being so he would win. I could not let it come to that! I could not hurt him! If he would just listen to me, I could stop this.

As he began to make his way into the facility, I began to panic. What do I do? What? What? What? If I tried to stop him, it would only cause him to fight harder. If I faced him in the amplifier, it would kill us both: him because his mind was not ready for that kind of a struggle and me because I could not live without him. I could not leave his side because if I did, he would be defenseless against Armacham who would come for him once they found out what Dark Signal was doing.

"_Why do you only care about him?!_" The obsessed stalker asked me once again. It was his fault that Michael had even been able to find his way to the facility in the first place! After I had heard Halford's plan, I had split myself in two again. I stayed with Michael to protect him while my other self went to Still Island to find a way to disable the amplifier.

However, this misguided soldier had somehow gotten the idea that I wanted him instead of Michael. I know that Michael still thinks that I did it on purpose, but I was just as surprised as he was when the soldier had suddenly started to wander off while the Replicas were attacking them. The weirdest part was that the Replicas did not shoot at him. I did not cause them to ignore him. If I had known how to make them stop attacking someone, I would have told them to stop attacking Michael and his teammates.

When we were reunited, Alpha 1 informed me that the standard protocol was to engage the most significant threat first and then deal with the lesser threats. When I had told him about Keegan, he explained that what had likely happened was that his brothers had seen that the soldier was not shooting back like his teammates. Due to the standard combat protocols, they designated him as a "lesser" threat and simply focused their attention on the more significant threat; i.e., Michael and his other teammates. If they had successfully eliminated them, the Replicas would have switched back to Keegan.

For some reason, Keegan had gone after my other self at Still Island. When the harlot sent Michael after Keegan, I had guided Michael and protected him while I tried to think of a way to stop the impending disaster. Something had happened to the Replicas near the Origin Facility. They were acting strangely. Their trademark discipline and coordination were almost nonexistent. They were simply throwing themselves at Michael with little, if any, planning or strategy.

Again, Alpha 1 had the answers for us when we were reunited. He explained that Replica Command had never received any responses from the units that were located near the Origin Facility. While all the Replica Troopers had been given the primary mission objective of tracking down and eliminating Michael, partially because Armacham was the more significant threat but mainly because they had a grudge against them, they had ended up focusing on securing vital areas against the mercenaries rather than hunting one man through the city. Whenever they encountered him, they tried to eliminate him as they had been instructed but once he had left their designated areas, they let him go.

However, as he continued to explain what had happened, the units located near the Origin Facility never contacted Command for their orders. Thus, as per standard protocols, their command structure became squad-based. He explained that essentially each squad became their own self-made chapter. He suggested that they had likely not been fully equipped by Armacham and therefore were simply unable to contact Command or, for that matter, any other units beyond the ones that they were around when they came out of hibernation because of both Michael's and my presence. That made sense because I recall that the Replica Troopers near the Origin Facility were missing gear, in some cases even their helmets.

As we neared the amplifier, I was becoming increasingly unable to concentrate. Michael was driving me absolutely out my mind! I could hear him asking for me but when I approached him, he pushed me away. On top of that, what Armacham did to him was making it very difficult for me to fight against my more carnal desires. I could not get him out of my thoughts long enough to think about what to do. I tried so hard to think about what to do but I just wanted him so much. More and more, part of me just wanted to force myself upon him but I had just barely been managing to keep myself composed and calm.

Bad Michael! Bad! Mommy should punish! No! Stop thinking like that! Michael is my friend! I have no right to think about him like that! I just want him to hold me like he used to. I want to feel safe again in those big, strong arms while his hands slowly tease my sensitive breasts. No! Stop! You are doing it again!

"_I love you! Why won't you give me a chance?!_"

Losing my patience with the stalker, I snapped, "Get ahold of yourself! For the last time! I! DO! NOT! WANT! Y..." I paused as a thought occurred to me. Looking at the former soldier that had become a disfigured, burnt specter of his former self due to his obsession with me, I wondered if he would actually prove to be helpful.

He was weak. Michael was strong. If I used him to distract Michael long enough, I might be able to keep us from hurting each other! Michael would hate me for using his teammate and I found it to be unnecessarily cruel as well, but it was between him and Michael. I had already unintentionally killed most of a city, what was one more life at this point? He was a good man, I could see that in his mind. He did not deserve this, but I was simply out of options.

Keegan would distract Michael but only for a few minutes at best. Once he had defeated his old teammate, Michael would try to fight me. I had to do something. What though? What could I do to keep him from attacking me? This soldier side of him was hostile and stubborn. I had to do something that would get him to stop fighting me long enough for Michael's true personality to take control.

"_Bad lady is here_." My other self suddenly said in my mind.

WHAT?! Aristide is here? This was bad. She was going to try to lock us together in the amplifier. As I heard the airlock cycling while I was standing next to Michael, I felt so overwhelmed. Nothing had gone right since the explosion. This was all my fault! Desperately, I tried to contact the only person that would know what to do. "_Alpha 1, please...I need you! Where are you?_"

When he did not answer, I started to sob. Why did he not answer me? Was he angry at me for sending him after Foxtrot 813? I tried again, "_Alpha 1, please...help me...I don't know what to do...please you're the only one that can stop this. Everything has fallen apart and I don't know how to keep Michael from getting hurt. I know that you are mad at Mommy but please, if not for me, then for Michael. Please, say something! Please! PLEASE!_"

When he still did not reply, I tried to reach out to him but discovered the heart-wrenching truth that his presence was no longer in the city. No! He cannot be dead! No! No! No! Please God, give him back to me! I need him! We all need him! As I absorbed the nauseating fact that we had very likely lost Alpha 1 because I had thrust him into the middle of the war between my second son and myself, one more tragedy being yet again my fault, I dropped onto my knees and started hugging myself.

Michael started to activate the amplifier. I began to bawl like a child as the full weight of my mistakes began to take its toll in my mind. My mind was hanging by a thread as I begged for something to happen that would stop this. Then, I heard the gunshot. Looking up, I saw the blonde soldier fall to the ground in front of Michael. I saw the bad lady standing close to my love with a gun in her hand. I saw that he was strapped into the amplifier chair and was unable to defend himself.

MICHAEL! I felt my anger erupt inside my mind and all rational thought left me as I manifested before the woman that dared to threaten my other half. HOW DARE SHE THREATEN HIM?! I materialized a tree root and sent it into the bad lady. As she went flying across the room, I went to stand between her and my Michael.

However, when I looked at him and saw the hurtful glare that he gave me, something broke inside of me. I was tired of the hurt! If the soldier side of Michael would not let us be reunited, then I would not treat him with the same respect and love that I treated the real Michael with! I suddenly felt weird. It was as if I was watching from outside my "body", unable to control what I was doing. Even though I screamed at myself at the top of my lungs to stop, I was unable to stop what happened.

* * *

Unable to calm down, I began to sob uncontrollably. "_Mommy, please stop crying. I'm sorry! Please!_"

My baby's cries only worsened my self-loathing and, seconds later, I found myself curled up on my left side underneath my tree. I was shaking so violently from crying that I was unable to hold Amara and she sat a few inches away from me. Though it was muffled, I heard her cry out for her father.

Moments later, I was suddenly scooped up by two strong arms. As the individual rocked me gently against his armored chest with the right side of my face rubbing against the familiar Kevlar vest, my buttocks resting in his lap, and my legs draped over his right leg while he himself was sitting up against the tree like I had been moments earlier, he asked me what was wrong.

I could not stop crying and so he began to rub my child-like body with his gloved hands in a soothing manner while he also began to hum the melody of my music box softly as I had done for him so many times prior. Eventually, I was able to calm down enough to open my eyes to look up at him. Deep concern was in his eyes and scarred face. Though I could not see him, I felt Alpha 1 sitting nearby with Amara safely cradled in his heavily armored arms.

With teary eyes, I said, "Michael...I'm so sorry...I should have never entered your life...this is all my fault."

He gave me a confused look before he asked, "What are you talking about?"

Between sniffles, I explained, "All...I have ever...done is...hurt...you. Armacham did all...those...ho...horrible...things to you bec..." I hiccupped and then continued, "...because of me. Then...I...I forced you to be a...a father. All yo-you have ever done is he...help me and pro...protect pe...people. You ar...are a good per...person and you di...did not deserve any of wh...what hap...happened. I'm so sorry! I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry..."

I faded off as another wave of sobbing hit me. Eventually, when I was able to calm back down, I looked back up at him. I expected him to say something along the lines of, "I cannot forgive you." I did not care, I just did not want him to let me go. I just wanted to stay here in his arms where I felt safe.

However, to my surprise, he said with a gentle tone that seemed alien to his hardened, scarred exterior, "Alma, you have nothing to be sorry for. I was going down a dark path before I met you. You steered me away from that. You made me the kind of person that protects people and cares about things other than himself. I wasn't lying to Mary when I said that you were my real mother. You were the only good thing in my life when I was growing up. If you hadn't come into my life, I would be in prison or dead right now."

I shook my head before I said, "No...no...I ruined your life! I have forced you to be a father, Michael!"

He smiled slightly before he replied, "I told you that I wanted to have a family with you...remember? You asked me before I left and I said yes. We were going to have a baby together anyway."

I was stunned by how calm he was. He had every right to be yelling at me about how horrible, twisted, evil, and disgusting I was or to be trying to kill me for what I did to him. Yet, he did not even raise his voice as he was telling me all of this. I asked, "You're not...mad?"

He frowned sadly for a moment before he replied, "I did not say that. Yes, I am bitter about what happened and, no, I will never forgive you for what you did."

My heart sank and I said, "I understand..."

To my confusion, he shook his head and then said, "No, you don't." Confused, I listened to him as he explained, "I cannot forgive you because you are not the one that hurt me. You are the one that saved me as a child and are now the one that I want to stay with forever. You are not the broken goddess that was stalking me through Fairport and you certainly aren't the one that forced herself upon me in the amplifier. I know that was not you. I can see it your eyes. You are a dark but good-natured goddess that was taken advantage of by a company that exemplified the very worst of humanity. So...you...have absolutely nothing to be sorry for. That's why I cannot forgive you...there is nothing to forgive you for."

I started to shake again, but this time it was not because of sorrow or pain. As I stared up at him with a smile even though tears were still rolling down my cheeks, I said, "Mi...Michael..." For the first time that I could remember, he showed no hesitation due to my child form as we both leaned in and kissed each other.


End file.
